Beatles animator to draw on experiences at Rock Art Show

Ron Campbell, one of the animators of the 1968 Beatles psychedelic classic “Yellow Submarine,” will be at the B101 Rock Art Show at Cardi’s Furniture, 999 Newport Ave. (Route 1A), South Attleboro, this...

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By
Peter C.T. Elsworth
Posted Oct. 25, 2013 @ 12:01 am

Ron Campbell, one of the animators of the 1968 Beatles psychedelic classic “Yellow Submarine,” will be at the B101 Rock Art Show at Cardi’s Furniture, 999 Newport Ave. (Route 1A), South Attleboro, this weekend.

The Australian-born Campbell directed the animated “The Beatles” TV series that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from the height of Beatlemania in September 1965 through April 1969. He then moved to Los Angeles and was subsequently taken on to animate part of “Yellow Submarine,” which celebrates the 45th anniversary of its American release a few days after the show.

“‘The Beatles’ was a great success and I think they thought it had something to do with me,” Campbell said in a phone call from his home in Phoenix. A number of artists worked on the project with him, including his friend and colleague Duane Crowther, who focused on 11 minutes that included the famed Blue Meanies.

The Meanies’ Mickey Mouse hats were a dig at Disney, which was considered too conservative a shop to work on the project, according to Campbell. “It was an inside joke and pure hubris,” adding that he later grew to appreciate the Disney genius.

At the same time, “Yellow Submarine” captured more of “the essence of the [1960s] than we were aware of at the time.”

“It’s very powerful, really. And it’s still being watched.”

Campbell will be selling original Beatles paintings created specially for this show, as well as demonstrating his animation art live. He will sign pieces with a seal of authenticity that includes a small doodle that he will do on site.

The free show includes works — all of which are available for purchase — by and of such musicians as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Ron Wood, Paul McCartney, Jerry Garcia, John Entwistle (The Who), Bob Dylan, Santana, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Tony Bennett, The Police, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jon Anderson (Yes), John Lennon, Ringo Starr and U2.

Campbell’s 50-year career (“50 years and one month from August 1958 to September 2008”) in the animation industry included stints working for Hanna-Barbera, storyboarding such favorites as “The Smurfs,” “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons,” as well as being part of the original team that created “Scooby Doo.” He subsequently worked at Disney Television Animation on such cartoons as “Bonkers,” “Winnie the Pooh” and “Rugrats.”

He said many fans still remember the Beatles series. “A lot of people come over to me [at shows] to tell me how much they enjoyed it,” he said. “There’s a lot of nostalgia for that show.”

The show runs 10 a.m. to 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, go to rockartshow.com.